Blah

I went for jury duty and I even arrived on time (8:30 am). I answered a few questions. Everyone else did too. Then, we all went to another courtroom to wait. A few people were called in for individual questioning. I wasn't one of them. Good. I was pretty sure I was in the clear. After a while, we all went back in to the first courtroom. The judge said both sides were finalizing their list. The judge told us a few stories and amusing anecdotes to help pass the time. The lists were presented and the names agreed upon. The judge said he would then read the 8 names of those who had been chosen. Juror #1: Christa Hendriksen and on down to #8. This was 10:45 am. Swearing in and testimony started right away. We had a lunch break, but essentially listened to testimony until 4:40 pm. We were sent off to nominate a spokesperson and deliberate. I got nominated. We deliberated until 6:30 pm. Found the defendant not guilty. Went back into the courtroom and told them all what we decided. We were thanked for our service and sent on our way. I got home at 7:10 pm and that's all I have to say about that.

It was kind of a long day and I'm glad that it's over. At least I have that $18.00 compensation check to look forward to.

Don't cry for me readers, the truth is I've already left you

By the time anyone reads this, I will already be at the courthouse reporting for jury duty. That's right. My number was called. Numbers 112-138 were to report at 8:30 am on Thursday. I'm number 136.

Peyton: 5 Glass dishes: 0

Peyton likes to dig through my cupboards and pull out whatever he can get his hands on. He especially loves glass things. He can't resist touching the stuff that's breakable. To date, he's broken 2 baking dishes, 1 casserole dish (at least the lid survived, but I have no idea what I'll do with it), 1 salad plate and 1 bowl. He broke one of the baking dishes and the salad plate just today and within an hour of each other. I was very happy to be sweeping up shards of glass twice in one day.

I guess it's finally time to rearrange my cupboards and put the breakable things where he can't reach them. Otherwise, I'll have nothing left to cook in or eat off of.

My number's up

I've been lucky so far this week and haven't had to report for jury duty, but my luck will be running out tonight. My number will most definitely be in the group of those who need to report tomorrow. Yippieeeee!!

Happy Birthday Tyler!

On this day, 9 years ago, I became a mother for the first time when my son Tyler Ryan Hendriksen was born. He came 3 weeks early. I didn't expect that. I didn't really think that I was in labor. Being a first time mom, I didn't want to go into the hospital thinking I was in labor and have them send me home because I was having gas pains. So, while I was on our bed on all 4's, having hard contractions and telling Ryan we needed to wait to go to the hospital, he was packing a bag for me. It's a good thing he could tell the signs of labor better than I could.

I was so absorbed in what was happening, that I thought the drive to the hospital only took about 5 minutes. It really took around 20-30. We got to the hospital between 8 and 9 pm. I was checked and sure enough, I was in labor. That was when I started freaking out. This was for real and it really hurt. I thought that I was tough enough the first time around to have a drug free delivery. I should have been a little better prepared. I kind of freaked out a little too much and got an epidural. I don't regret that decision, because his birth was the most traumatic as far as interventions go. No, nothing serious, just lots of stitches. So, the epidural was a nice thing to have had. I just didn't like the effects of it after. On me and on him. He was my most sleepy baby. I did have three drug free deliveries later. So, I got to live my dream. ☺ No sarcasm was intended there.

Tyler was born at 12:16 a.m. weighing 7 lbs. and was 20 inches long. I thought he was the most amazingly beautiful baby I had ever seen. And of course he was. He started my journey on the road to motherhood (and Crazy Town) and now here I am with 4. I can hardly believe it, because in my mind, he should still be my little baby. He sometimes still likes to act like it. No, I'm not trying to imply that he's naughty. Although he can be sometimes. ☺ He's a good cuddler and is always ready for a hug or a kiss from his mom. I am so proud of my son. He's such a smart, talented, funny and entertaining boy. He's the best firstborn any mother could ask for. Happy Birthday Tyler!

Update: No more freaking out

I am very happy to say that I don't need a root canal. In fact, I didn't even have a cavity. Everyone can say, "I told you so." I'm still practically perfect in every way. Well, at least my teeth are. The pus spot on my gums contained a small piece of my wisdom tooth that was extracted over 12 years ago. The tooth had been impacted and the dentist had to break it into pieces to get it out. At least, that's what my mom tells me. I have absolutely no memory of the incident. They gave me some really good drugs. It took all this time for that tiny little piece to work it's way to the surface. It had infected the area around it and that was why I couldn't put my finger on exactly which tooth hurt because the answer was that none of them did. It was only my gums that were hurting. Yes, you can say "Duh Christa. You should have been able to tell that." It was easily removed and it was practically pain free to do it. I only winced a couple of times. I had them clean and buff up my teeth after that and they feel brand new.

I also learned something kind of exciting. I know it's hard to tell in my profile picture because it's really tiny, but if you've seen me in person you know that I'm a gap-toothed geek. It's not a huge one, but it's something I've always hated. My teeth are relatively straight. I don't have a perfect bite, but it gets the job done. So, braces were never really considered for me. Today, the dentist asked my how attached I was to the space. I told him not at all. He said that he could fill it in with a white surface filling and make it disappear. (In case you're wondering why he's never asked me this before the answer is this: this was my first time going to this dentist. I called him because he's the one Ryan's parents go to and he could get me in today. Getting in today was just what my freaking out self needed.) He asked if I wanted him to do a quick, temporary fill just to see what it would look like. Oh, heck yes! I was amazed at how good his quick fix looked. It actually looked quite natural. I had to look really hard to even see the filler material. He said I could schedule an appointment for about 2 weeks from now (that's when his next openings were) and have a "permanent" fill done. I say "permanent" because no one can say for sure just how long it would last. It could stay on my teeth for 6 months, 15 years, or forever. All teeth are different and it would just depend on how well my teeth took to the product. The temporary filler stuff fell out after an hour and he said that would most likely happen. He said I might not even get to my car before it fell out. So, I didn't get the chance to take a picture of it to show anyone. It did feel weird to me to not have air whistling through my space and I never realized how often I stick my tongue between it. It was a bit of a strange feeling to have it gone and not be able to do that. So, I'm not sure just yet how I feel about making it a permanent thing. We'll see.

Jewelry Giveaway

Rosie is having a giveaway on her blog. Click on the picture at the right to enter.

Sad News

I have something very sad to report. I am afraid that my pristine, cavity free mouth may be no more. And I'm kind of sort of freaking out about it. Remember how I fear having my teeth rot and fall out of my head? I've been having what I suppose is a toothache (I really don't know what to call it, I've never had a cavity) for about 2 months. I haven't had the hot and cold sensitivity some get, nor has it been necessarily aching. It just hurts when I bite down on the bottom left side of my mouth and my gums have been feeling swollen. A couple of days ago, I looked in my mouth and found a disgusting pus spot. I did an extensive 2 minute online search and found that a pus spot is an indicator of an abscessing tooth. I screamed like Macaulay Culkin when I read that. Not only do I maybe have a cavity, I may need a root canal to take care of the problem. I called a dentist this morning and have an appointment at 3:30 to check this out. OK, I lied. I'm really freaking out. I hope all goes well.

Does anyone want to take my place?

I have been summoned for jury duty. I totally and completely forgot (big surprise) that back in November one of those juror information/questionnaire forms came for me. I filled it out online and then dismissed it from my mind. Imagine my surprise when, on Saturday last, the actual summons arrived in the mail. I yelled and said some choice words while standing in front of my house at the mailbox when I realized what I was holding in my hand. I'm glad that there were no neighbors outside at the time.

My term of service is 1/26 thru 1/30 and I am to begin calling after 5:00 P.M. on the 23rd to get instructions. I will be told either to come to the courthouse or to call back the next evening. It says: The phone line may be busy, so keep calling until you get the information. Isn't that so nice? I guess they try hard to make sure you are truly inconvenienced. That way, in the end, you might feel like it was all worth it when you see the result of your hard work. Or, they just like to create some excitement in citizens lives and make them wait on pins and needles. If this is what some people consider exciting, then there must be some very bored people out there.

Now, I'm all about doing my part. I have no problem with being a good citizen and performing my civic duty as one. This is the second time I have been summoned. The first was 13 years ago. I went and I went happily. I didn't have to serve. I was dismissed after a few questions and that was just fine. I thought it was kind of fun to have had the experience. I went on my merry way and figured I would never have to do it again. Wrong.

I wouldn't mind doing this at any other time, but next week is going to be a bad one. Ryan is going to Idaho Monday thru Thursday. Avery has dance on Monday, Tuesday is Tyler's birthday and the list goes on and on. I just can't remember it all right now. Normally, I would ask my mother in law to help out with the kids, but get this: she's been summoned as well. That's right. She's been summoned for the same time period and for the same courthouse. So, my sister in law has agreed to be available to help out with the kids. I guess I can only hope that I get my instructions on the 23rd, go on the 26th and get dismissed right away. Thereby, lessening the inconvenience to all.

I'm just wondering

At what age to boys need to start wearing deodorant? Does anyone have any idea? Or, even better, firsthand experience. Ryan thinks I'm crazy for even thinking that someone in our house just might need it.

A trip down memory lane

Ryan was in Chicago last week and I was in need of some entertainment. So, I borrowed the second season of this show from my mother in law. I had forgotten how much I used to like it. It first premiered when I was in high school. I'm sure I just seriously dated myself there. Some people who read this blog were around 2 then. I didn't really care for the final season (in my opinion, it had lost it's magic), but I loved all of the others.

Farewell to an old friend

I've been meaning to do this for a while, but just haven't gotten around to it until now. My alarm clock that I had for the past 18 years, kicked the bucket about 2 months ago. I saw it at Sam's Club just before Christmas 1989 and asked my parents to get it for me. I was so excited when I opened it up. I loved it, used it, abused it and it never complained. It served me well for all those 18 years. Goodbye old friend. You will be missed. (I have no idea why I've been so sappy and nostalgic lately.)
This isn't my actual clock. I found this one doing a google search and it's exactly like mine. I also had something disturbing happen while searching. I found a picture of another one on a site called retrojunk.com. Retro? Things from my youth are now old enough to be considered retro. Needless to say, I didn't use the image from retrojunk. How dare they make me feel old.

Men won't get this

I know, because when I called to tell my husband this, he said, "hmmm...okay."

I found out from my sister in law, Emily (go check out her new blog) our mutual OBGYN is retiring in March. WHAAAAAAAAT!!!!!! I've been going to him for almost 10 years. Emily is pregnant and due at the end of May. So, consequently, he won't be delivering her baby. He said that he would refer her to another doctor in the practice, which she's sort of okay with. Not great, but okay. She feels weird about plans changing more than halfway through the pregnancy. I don't blame her. I suppose I'll be fine seeing pretty much anyone else in the practice, but I'm feeling just a little beside myself right now. 10 years is a long time to be going to one doctor and I'm not sure I have the energy to get to know a new one. (I haven't been much in the mood for change lately.) Plus, he's young, only mid-40's and I wasn't expecting this for at least another 20 years. I thought that he would be managing my menopausal hot flashes. I understand his reasons for wanting to retire. He was just made the bishop of his ward, he feels like he wants to spend more time with his younger children, blah, blah. He doesn't feel like he can do it all and still practice medicine full time. Fine, but what about me? Don't I get a say in this? I'm not severely emotionally attached to him, but I just don't want to deal with the hassle of getting to know a new doctor. Continuity, constancy and sameness have been a comfort and security to me lately.

I'm sure I'll be over this by next week. I just felt like indulging in a little self-pity today.

Avery quote of the day

Avery and I were out shopping this morning. It was around 10:30. She was draped across the seat of the car, taking her sweet time getting into her booster seat and then said this to me in a very weak voice:

"Mom, I'm so hungry (gasp) . I need to eat chocolate (gasp) . Right (gasp) now (gasp) ."


Truer words have, perhaps, never been spoken. I've taught her very well. Very well indeed.

Two questions I ask my kids every single day

1. Do you know that our toilets flush?

and

2. Did you know that we have a garbage can?

Also, if you're looking for a self esteem booster, don't look at yourself in a 7x magnification mirror. It won't help you feel better about yourself.